Electrical connector



M "ALDEN ELECTRICAL coNNEcTon Filed June 11, 193'( June 27, 1939.

Patented June27, '1939 'UNITED' s'rA'r-EsA PATENT `ori-"lucia 2.163,11; mc'rnxrcsl. coNNEc'ron. Milton Alden, Brockton. Hass. Application Juno i1, 19:1, soi-n1 No. 141,040

-'My invention relates especially to devices kuseful` as grid caps used to make connection with the terminal tips of radio valves or tubes.

One object is to provide a satisfactorydevice which can be easily and cheaply made. Another object is to provide a device which can be readily -applied and `which will vstay on, that is-will not vjar or work oir. i

Another object is to provide a 'device which is 20l longitudinally and laterally and in which a pro- *tecting portion is provided for some of the insula` tion around the connecting wire.

An objection toconnectors which are substantially triangular in cross section has beenvthe A g5 conned or localized exure at the ends of the central side. r

In automobile radios and elsewhere shocks have tended toobjectionably' loosen the connector; Another cause of .complaint has been due 30 to the widely different sizes Vof conductors with which a connector is expectedto be capable of functioning without taking a permanent set.

According to this invention these diiliculties have been eliminated by widely distributing th f 35 expansive iiexure. 4

Fig. 1 is a side view ofa grid cap or tube co Fig. '1 is aside 1view' showing a connection xali.-

tached to a conductor but with a -diierent`form of crimping. Y

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a. nodiiied form o! the connector.;

Fig. 9 shows a one form of connector.

The connector has vwo parallel tubular parts II and Il integrally connected. The smaller A ered joint.

longitudinal sectional Vview ofV comme. (ci. 11s-zes) .part Il forms a housing for the ,end of the terminal conductor. The insulation i2 is prefer'- ably gripped in one end of the tube I0 and may be crimped at I3at the end `of the tube assh'own in-Fig. 1, or crimped or staked at i4 near the 6 center as shown in Fig. 7. The tip of the wire (solid or stranded) is soldered at I5.

The spring clip part II has two jaws shaped to engage the opposite sides of the part t`o which itis to be applied such as a tube tip i1. The l0 entrance or mouth I8 is preferably ared or bell shaped to facilitate applying the clip to the tube tip. lZIT-'he connector may be readily formed from a stamped plate or strip i9 on which is laid'or placed the end of the conductor. The strip may be bent.around the insulation and the tip of thev wire andformed into the split tube clip. The wire may bersoldered in its tube in any suitable manner. The cons ruction is such as to make it possible to do the so dering very easily -and cheap- 20 The blank may be formed so as to produce two tubes of equal length as in Figs. 6, 7. Sand 9 or the wiretube I0 may be shorter than the clip as shown in'Figs. 1 and 5. 25

In the form of device shown in Fig. 8 the tubes and 2| are integral and each is open along one edge at 22 and 23. 'Ihe wire is laid in the open tube 2 2 which is then closed and the wire soldered in place. The otherrtube .22 is then ready to re- '30 c eive the tube tip. In the form shown in Fig. 9 the end of the smaller tube i0 is notched, cut away, or slotted at 25 and the tip 26 Aoi? the wire is bent over into this slot where it is conveniently held while the slotted portion of the. tube and the wire are dipped into the solder to fasten the' wire in place. The tube Il'may also be crimped into the insulation of the wheat one or more places such as 21 to hold'the conductor independently of the sol- 40 This ensures `a strong connectionr even if the soldering should not be perfect. AIt is also possible 'to weld or braze the conductor wire into the smaller tubular portion of the device.

xThe wings of the'socket part are preferably so 45 hinged to the conductor clamping or holding portion as to provide a uniformly resilient gripping action so that the jaws or wings. may snugly t the part on which they are to be mounted. "n

'rho two cylindrical portions In and lHJ are so shaped to function as stated and distribute the expansive iiexure widely. throughout both of them rather than having them exactly cylindrical.' The solder AI5 as shown in Fig. 1 should not substantially impede expansive iiexure of the cyl lindrical portion I0. Where the conductor goes through thev notch 25 and outside, it is necessary to use only a very small amount of solder so that by holding the wire I2 and the connector at about a. 45 angle .only the outside bent portion of the \the construction of Figs. 3, 4 and 6 to 9 inclusive,

conductor `26 need be soldered.

In Fig. 5 the anged or bell mouthed portion I8 is cut away to make the cylindrical part II more exible in' cases where the bell mouthed portion of Figs. 1 and 2 may tend to stiffen the jaws II to' an undesirable extent. Only the lugs I8a in Fig. 5 serve as guides for the entering conductor tip Il. In all embodiments of this invention the conductor I2 extends longitudinally away from the connector. The distorted portion I3 isshown in Fig. 1 las being at the end of the cylindrical part I0 in order that it may not affect the exure of the cylindrical portion I0 more than necessary.' The central crimping I4 in Fig. '7 is shown for constructions in which expansive flexure in the part I0 is not so important.

Expansive exure widely and substantially uniformly distributed throughout -both'cylindricalportions I and II is attained by having the curved connecting` portions I6 free of sharpbends, having the metal of the desired'thickn'ess and satisfactory composition. Specifically what is known as quarter hardsteel may be used, or six point hard bronze, or beryllium copper.' BestI results are believed to be obtained when the substantial circles of the cylindrical parts Ill and II are no closer than about tangent to one another and no further apart than about- 150% of the thickness of Ffthe metal used. The radius of curvature in`the connecting neck portion I6 is about oneito two or three times the thickness of the metal."`

The insulation around the wire I2 is preferably snugly gripped within the cylindrical por- -tion III and the insulation ends or is spaced from the soldered part so that no fumes from lthe ux o r solder may injure' the insulation. In fact so small an amount of solder is necessary that solder which is slightly acidmay be used, the acid fumes being volatilized quickly before they can do amv harm.

The construction shown in Fig. 8 is not intended to be a full equivalent of that shown in 4the other gures.

While no bell mouthed portion is shown for it will nevertheless be understood that the conductor receiving portion may be slightly bevelled to facilitate entry of the conductor. I` claim:

` 1. In combination, a connector of the socket type and an insulated terminal wire, said connector being adapted to receive axially therein a plug sch as a radio tube tip and comprising a .Joined pair of jointly exible tubular members positioned substantially mutually parallel, the first tubular member having a longitudinal slit extending for the entire length of one wall thereof and also having a second longitudinal slit extendj ing for the entire length of the opposite wall thereof, the second tubular member having a longitudinal slit located at the point ofvjunctur of the two tubular members and coincidental with the second slit of the rst tubular member,

whereby the insertion of a plug into said first mote from the insulation of the wire and remote from -said coincidental'slit, whereby the joint flexibility of said tubular members and the properties of said insulation-are both substantially unaffected by `the fastening of said wire to said outer wall of said second tubularl member.

2. A structure according to claim l, wherein the second tubular member is provided with `arecess for receiving and holding therein at least part of the bent over bare portion of the wire. MILTON ALDEN. 

